1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a bumper-mounting structure for a frame-mounted-body vehicle in which a bumper is mounted on a body of the frame-mounted-body vehicle (having the body mounted on a chassis frame) so as to aesthetically enhance the appearance and also to prevent damage to equipment, mounted on a front end panel, in the event of a low-speed collision.
2. Related Art
In the case of a frame-mounted-body vehicle having a body mounted on a chassis frame, a bumper is usually fixed to the frame. This is intended to reduce damage to the body in the event of a collision and also to enhance the durability of the body so as to prevent damage to the body when putting the foot on the bumper. In the case of the frame-mounted-body vehicle, it is necessary to form a small gap is between the frame and the body and to provide a rubber member between the frame and the body so that the rubber member can be elastically deformed during the running of the vehicle, thereby preventing the frame and the body from contacting each other. Therefore, a gap is also formed between the body and the bumper, and there has been encountered a problem that the front view, which has the greatest influence on the commercial value of the vehicle, is inferior in refinement, quality, high-grade impression and so on to that of a passenger car.
In a frame-mounted-body vehicle having a bumper mounted on a frame, there has heretofore been adopted means by which the above-mentioned gap is reduced, and one example thereof is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Unexamined Publication No. 4-109657. In this "bumper-mounting structure for an automobile", an attachment is interposed between a mounting bracket, fixed to a front end of a chassis frame, and a bumper, and a slot is formed between the attachment and the mounting bracket. The position of mounting of the bumper is adjusted by this slot, thereby reducing the above gap. With this means, however, there is a problem that because of a relative movement between the body and the frame, the adjustment can be effected only in the range in which the two are not in contact with each other.
In order to mount a bumper on a body of a frame-mounted-body vehicle, it is necessary to enhance the rigidity of a front end panel of the body, and for example, as shown in FIG. 1, there has been used a method in which pillar-like members (not shown) of high rigidity are interposed between a front end upper panel 22 and a front end lower panel 23, and the bumper is mounted on the pillar-like members. With this method, however, an impact force, applied to the bumper at the time of a collision, acts on the front end upper panel 22, the front end lower panel 23 and deflector panels 24, provided therebetween, through the pillar-like members, so that these members may be deformed, and besides there is a possibility that high-grade parts, including head lights, a radiator grill and an air condenser, are destroyed. Recently, in order to reduce an automobile insurance rate, it has been required to reduce the cost of repair resulting from a collision, and therefore this method is not so advantageous. And besides, the pillar-like members of high rigidity are used, and therefore there is encountered a problem that the weight of the vehicle and the cost are increased.